On April 25 Booker T. Jones announced his long-awaited memoir will appear in print this fall along with an audiobook companion.
Born 1944 in Memphis, Tenn., Jones went on to become one of the great musicians of our time, including leading the Stax Records house band Booker T. & The MG's that can be heard on many influential records, including Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." The group, including Jones, were honored with the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Jones' memoir will provide insight into such major accomplishments in his storied career, in addition to early career pitfalls all the way through collaborations with Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Neil Young, Carlos Santana, and Willie Nelson. We'll also get behind-the-scenes info on how hits such as 1962's "Green Onions" (GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, 1999), that Jones recorded at age 18, were made. He will also take readers inside his personal journey, which included growing up in the segregated south.
Though the memoir has yet to be given a title, fans are sure to look to his book for tips how his approach to life and music empowered him to make such great contributions.
"Had I known in third grade when I started playing my clarinet that one day I would be playing with the likes of B.B. King, Otis Redding or Bob Dylan, I might have been too paralyzed to continue my journey," Jones said. "But in life, you do things one moment at a time. That's what I want to share with readers — how each step of my winding, rocky road has led me to where I am today."
